Joe,
I have read some of your writing and I believe that you are correct in that working stiffs and the unemployed poor don't stand a chance in making it in America anymore. It is the same thing in Michigan and Texas, and any other state as far as I can guess.
Heck, just trying to keep up with groceries, gas and utilities is a burden. Never mind car payment, car repairs, insurance and property taxes. Foreclosures are way up and people are helpless in their fight with city and county tax officials.
Here in San Antonio, Texas they want to convert freeways into toll roads. And, they are building expensive schools where up to 40% of the kids don't graduate.
The junkyards are filled with people hunting car parts to keep their autos running and the pawnshops are popping up all over the place. One junkyard charges $1 per person to enter! And a wheel barrow to transport your tools and parts is another bill.
Yard sales require permits while the new minimum wage can't buy a $7.95 lunch plate at the local barbecue joint. But you could buy a $4.99 lunch at the local taco joint with free iced tea but, when you add the $1 tip to help the waitress who served you, the new wage doesn't go far enough. And the plates have shrunk in size! The local cafeteria chain Luby's has removed the free ice cream machine at all locations. How about that? And the all-u-can eat daily special at the barbecue joint is gone. That was $9.99. Iced tea was extra.
However, Popeye's fried chicken is a real deal on Tuesdays. You get two pieces for 89 cents! Forget the rest of the week though. My dog eats well on Tuesday!
Keep up the fine work!
Frank
San Antonio, Texas
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Frank,
Oh, I hear you brother! When in the States I live next door to an apartment building where virtually every resident lives on the edge you describe. Some of the residents come over and sit on my front porch with me when the weather is good. This morning I talked to a guy who has had the same job four times last year. They let him go when they cut employees and rehire him when they need more help. In between he hunts for another job, but gets called back before he finds one. He lived the past month entirely on ramen noodles with bits of fried egg dropped into the noodles. Now his car won't run because the starter went out, so he has to eat out of the convenience store down the street until he can get it fixed. He can't get it fixed until he is rehired. And when he is rehired he won't be able to get to work until he can get a rebuilt starter installed. Now he cannot even look for another job because he has no transportation. It's a vicious cycle. A form of serfdom, actually.
In art and labor,
Joe
